


One last goodbye

by mlein80



Category: The Vampire Diaries (TV)
Genre: Gen, Goodbyes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-10
Updated: 2016-03-10
Packaged: 2018-05-25 22:23:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 884
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6212452
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mlein80/pseuds/mlein80
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Alaric isn't glad that Damon chose a letter to say goodby to him, so he tracks down the coffin and has one last talk with his friend.</p>
            </blockquote>





	One last goodbye

“Really, Damon?” Alaric closed the door of the warehouse behind him, walking towards the coffin he knew Damon was lying in. He ignored Elena’s one, not wanting to think about the fact that it was very probably he would never see the girl he saw as a daughter again, but at least she didn’t choose that fate. Damon did.

“A letter? That was all you could do as a goodbye?” He opened the coffin, looking down on the face of his friend, that was looking pretty desiccated after a few months in that coffin.

“I should just shove a blood bag down your throat, you know? Try to get some answers out of you. It doesn’t matter if you want it or not.” He wouldn’t do it. He knew how his friend had felt, and somehow he was jealous that Damon had the option of taking a time out. Not that that made him less angry that his best friend didn’t even say goodbye to his face.

“What did you think when you wrote that letter? It’s all fine? Ric will understand? He won’t mind? Because you have it all wrong, buddy. I do mind.” He opened the bottle of bourbon he had brought along, holding it up so Damon could have seen it, if he would have been conscious.

“Do you think I want to drink that thing all by myself? No, Damon. But you didn’t give me any choice. We could have talked about this. We could at least have shared one last drink before you decided to disappear.”

It had taken him months to get settled in in Dallas, first the babies taking up all of his time, after that his job. But he had kept in touch with Tyler, finally managing to get a few days off so he could get to New York. Somehow he needed this. He needed to say goodbye to his friend in person.

“You know, Damon? I get how you’re feeling. Or were feeling, because I don’t think you’re feeling much at the moment. I’ve been there, remember? Jo was dead, the twins were dead, and my whole world had fallen apart. Do you know who kept me sane? You! And my stupid idea to think I could get Jo back to life, but apart from that, it was you. You taking me to Europe, trying to distract me, being there. Not saying that it would be ok, because it wouldn’t, and you knew that better than anyone. But you were there, and that is what mattered. That is what kept me sane. That is what kept me alive until Valerie told me that Josie and Lizzy weren’t dead.”

He leaned against the coffin, taking another sip from the bottle. He’d have to stay here quite a while, because if he continued like this, he wasn’t going to be able to find his car, let alone drive back.

“But you don’t even have a clue who I’m talking about, do you? You never even saw my daughters. Never had the courage to visit me, or them, before you did this. What is it, Damon? Were you afraid that I would shove a little bundle of baby into your arms and that you couldn’t do this anymore? Or that I would make you godfather of one of the two, and so giving you a reason not to do this? Or at least, maybe you would have had the responsibility not to do this.”

Alaric sighed.

“Because I wanted to. But I’m glad I didn’t do it. What kind of godfather leaves everyone who still cares about behind like this? Didn’t say goodbye to his best friends who, newsflash... probably won’t be there anymore when he wakes up? Yes, Bonnie talked to me, and I think you already know she’s even more pissed at you than I am. And she’s right to be.”

He wanted to take another swallow from the bottle, only to find out it was already empty.

“And here I am, ending up drunk, talking to someone who can’t hear me, because I just couldn’t let go. I couldn’t just say goodbye to a piece of paper and let that be final. I couldn’t forget about you that easily. Maybe I should have. Maybe should have just continued my life, forget you ever existed. Apparently you weren’t worth it.”

But he knew he didn’t mean it. Damon had been worth his friendship, every inch of the way. It was in a way the relation he had had that had meant the most to him, which made him so mad it had ended this way.

“So I’m gonna leave you to it. Caroline is going to kick my ass when I get back, and I don’t even know if this whole trip, this whole thing of saying goodbye, has been worth it. It has to be. So... this was it, buddy. Sleep tight...”

He closed the coffin again, placing the bottle on the floor after putting the stopper back into it. With one last look at the coffin he walked out, closing the doors behind him, not noticing the tear that was trickling down his cheek.

Damon had done this. It was Damon’s choice. And he wasn’t worth crying about.

“I’m gonna miss you, buddy...”


End file.
